Have you heard of Toby Reith?
The tusky baby born with ten teeth.
Every day he grew a few more
He had a full set of gnashers by the time he was four.

Now Toby’s Uncle Alfie was fond of a lark
His fourth birthday present was a cuddly shark
Toby’s friends saw the shark was a toothy toy
And from that day on he was known as ‘Shark Boy’.

Are sharks the only animals with funny fangs?
Would any others really mess up a meringue?
How about a crocodile, an otter or a sabre tooth tiger?
Or an African elephant from the banks of the Niger?

Shark Boy didn’t talk – he preferred to snap
He used his teeth like a Venus Fly Trap
You name it he gnawed it, you couldn’t imagine
All of the things he chose to chow down on.

He chomped on chairs, books, daddy’s slippers
For lunch he even munched the bones of a kipper
Sometimes he nibbled a little too hard
Which could lead to problems in the school yard.

Sadly for Shark Boy people don’t like to be bitten
And neither do animals like rabbits or kittens
Shark Boy never meant any harm with his teeth
But when he slept, he couldn’t bite, which was such a relief.

Can you think of any objects with incisors?
How about the zip on the wetsuit of a diver?
Or what about a saw that cuts through wood?
There are so many ways that teeth can be good.

There are even teeth on the cogs inside mummy’s head
They help her to think while you are in bed
Shark Boy’s snapping made his mummy fed up
Until she had a brainwave how to help her young pup.

Shark Boy’s biting was a show of affection
His mummy discovered how to cure this infection
She taught him that fingers are more useful than teeth
That sharks cannot grasp, twist, or look underneath.

But best of all fingers can express love
Much better than using them to nip or to shove
Joint together like teeth the fit is quite snug
Ideal for Toby to give everyone a big hug!